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Court Says WPRO Host Childish But Did Not Slander

7-5-2012

The slander suit was originally dismissed by a lower court and now that is upheld by the Rhode Island Supreme Court. The incident stems from a slander suit filed by a local restaurant owner against WPRO host Dan Yorke. Yorke went off on an article about a political meeting that took place in the restaurant. He wasn't happy that there was an agreement that none of the jokes from the meeting would be on-the-record. An agreement that apparently also includes local reporters invited to the meeting.

In the ruling, the judges wrote, "every day, the hosts of these programs seek to create debate and commentary about local news, with a palpable emphasis on the latest real or imagined political intrigue. On occasion, tensions flare and these conversations deteriorate from moderate exchanges into heated free-for-all arguments; the tome can become caustic, the comments blunt, unrefined, and downright unfair." The court went on the write that the on-air rant by Yorke over the article was "acrimonious and childish." "Yorke used his talk show as a platform to hurl a series of crude and disparaging remarks from the safety of his microphone."